MORGAN ZAMBONI “Help me”, 2022, digital composite.

This image was inspired by some of the themes in Annihilation–exploration, discovery, and transformation. If we place ourselves in the shoes of the astronauts, we find ourselves facing a litany of questions. Are we meant to help the face? Or will the face help us if we press the button? Perhaps the face is that of a sort of smart-home AI but for an entire city which has been long abandoned. Originally the button might have meant a request for assistance from her, but now it could be seen as “saving” her from obsolescence. Assuming she still has a power source, of course…ultimately, the astronauts probably have as little power to help her as she does to help them.